Hermann GoeringHermann Goering, (1893-1946) Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, President of the Reichstag, Prime Minister of Prussia and, as Hitler's designated successor, the second man in the Third Reich. [Göring]

Infamous Hermann Goering Quote

“Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”

Hermann GoeringHermann Goering
~ Hermann Goering

Nuremberg Diary (Farrar, Straus & Co 1947), by Gustave Gilbert (an Allied appointed psychologist), who visited daily with Goering and his cronies in their cells, afterwards making notes and ultimately writing the book about these conversations.

Ratings and Comments


Chris Baxter, London

I have rarely seen this issue described more accurately. All constitutional texts which aim at explaining how politicians 'represent' the people should be required to address it, and particular stress should be laid on the recent war in Iraq.

Jeremy, Sydney

Never a true'r word spoken... It's wake up time!

Kyle Huwer, Darmstadt/Flagstaff

I agree with Chris' comment. I ask you to take just one step back and think about this quote, and then compare it to what has happened in the last few years. What is the terrorist threat level/color at today anyways?

E Archer, NYC

It's the oldest trick in the book.

Timothy Vance, Los Angeles

Dick Cheney.

Brian Pelton, Whidbey Island, WA

He was right-on. All the current Administration has done is try to scare us.

A T, TN
  • Reply
A T, TN    11/2/06

Are we the one that attack first? If you dont show the snake whos the boss. It will keep coming back. If it will...and I know they will. Just not on our backyard.

PM
  • Reply
PM    1/4/07

True, very true.

B R, LA
  • 4
  • Reply
    B R, LA    1/4/07

    Why of course! Let's follow Hitler's heir apparent's advice. Let's bring our troops home from all around the world and disband our military completely so that we can all live safely and peacefully on the farm. Now, if you can only convince Osama bin Laden, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il to do the same, this will be a wonderful world.

    Robert, Sarasota

    Moderation is the key to a long life. Even Krisna advised battle at one point. I give it five as it accurately describes most regimes including our own.

    Mike, Mount Holly, NC

    That quote is pure evil. If you truly believe this is the way our elected officials operate, why don't we have revolution in the streets right now? If politicians who believe this way are still in office, then the American public is basically saying they're OK with this.

    Mike, Norwalk

    First there is a focus on those bad people, then there is a terrorist attack and a building is blown up, then the focus on bad people is broadened to immigrants, then police actions and other military skirmishes, etc. etc. then as Goering so apply put it: "It works the same in any country" Then, the every day people can't believe that their elected/non-elected executive, judicial, and legislative officiates and departments are so vile and corrupt; so they just keep getting violated and die. WOW deja vu, history repeating itself.

    EGL, LA
    • 3
    • Reply
    EGL, LA    1/4/07

    I give this five stars more becasue of its importance historically than its total accuracy. So much can be taken apart and analyzed here. But I will only comment on the first sentence, "why of course people do not want war." There is a psychology deeply imbedded in mankind that indeed makes them want war and they are thus totally vulnerable to the observations that Goering contends. Sadly war continues to give a still primitive species of homo sapien levels of purpose and meaning which it is incapable of finding in the subtle, the beautiful, the transcendant options inherent in the life of the mind and the spirit.

    Joe, Rochester, MI

    5 stars, but only for stating the evil truth. The U.S. government is doing just as the Nazis did.

    Robert, Los Angeles

    Truth is evil? No wonder you outrageously accuse our U.S. government of "doing just as the Nazis did." Have you seriosly forgotten what the Nazis "really did," and could you be very specific about how the U.S. is now doing what the Nazis did to six million Jews. Your comment is reprehensible! If you want a replay of Nazism under Hitler, keep your eye on Iran and its dictator who says there never was a Holocaust, but now wants to create his own by wiping Israel off the face of the earth. Then he wants to do the same to the U.S. That's his "truth" and it is extremely evil.

    Anonymous, Reston, VA US

    King George is locking up citizens without access to lawyers even... he is nothing more than a war criminal, and I pray for the day that the citizens of the world bring him to trial for his war crimes! Yes, King George is a fascist, no better than a Nazi, for he worships the creating of a global Armageddon that will make what Hitler done look pale by comparison.

    Logan, Memphis, TN

    As a Christian conservative American, I actually agree with Reston. The person who doesn't identify with reality to see the atrocities that are being committed by the neocon agenda, are living with their heads in the sand... Either blind complacency, or total lack of understanding for the course that's being followed, seems to be the mental state of being for the majority of Americans. There are many aspects of Naziism that present themself in different forms through, at different times, and in different places... The basic principles behind what Hitler did were not new, nor are the tactics of the neocon today.

    EGL, LA
    • 2
    • Reply
      EGL, LA    1/5/07

      I must agree with the outrage that Robert feels in response to Anonymous' equating America with Nazi Germany. As people who have read my opinions know, I have serious issues with the current administration. But as a photo journalist and author I have traveled to the previous Soviet Union, Latvia, Croatia, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Lybia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar...many countries that are in serious violation of every human rights violation one can and cannot imagine. America has issues, but honestly, if you have ever experienced totalitarian police states in all their glory you would know that we have freedoms here that some can only dream of and for which we must not only be grateful, but fight with passion to protect.

      Dave Rubin, New York
      • 1
      • Reply
      Dave Rubin, New York EGL, LA 11/22/20

      OVERTHROWING OTHER PEOPLE’S GOVERNMENTS:
      THE MASTER LIST
      By William Blum – Published February 2013

      [The United States routinely interferes with elections of dozens of other nations and even “installs” political leaders through various CIA operations, including CIA-led coups and assassinations of foreign leaders].
      Instances of the United States overthrowing or attempting to overthrow, a foreign government since the Second World War. (* indicates successful ouster of a government)
      •China 1949 to early 1960s
      •Albania 1949-53
      •East Germany 1950s
      •Iran 1953
      •Guatemala 1954 *
      •Costa Rica mid-1950s
      •Syria 1956-7
      •Egypt 1957
      •Indonesia 1957-8
      •British Guiana 1953-64 *
      •Iraq 1963 *
      •North Vietnam 1945-73
      •Cambodia 1955-70 *
      •Laos 1958 *, 1959 *, 1960 *
      •Ecuador 1960-63 *
      •Congo 1960 *
      •France 1965
      •Brazil 1962-64 *
      •Dominican Republic 1963 *
      •Cuba 1959 to present
      •Bolivia 1964 *
      •Indonesia 1965 *
      •Ghana 1966 *
      •Chile 1964-73 *
      •Greece 1967 *
      •Costa Rica 1970-71
      •Bolivia 1971 *
      •Australia 1973-75 *
      •Angola 1975, 1980s
      •Zaire 1975
      •Portugal 1974-76 *
      •Jamaica 1976-80 *
      •Seychelles 1979-81
      •Chad 1981-82 *
      •Grenada 1983 *
      •South Yemen 1982-84
      •Suriname 1982-84
      •Fiji 1987 *
      •Libya 1980s
      •Nicaragua 1981-90 *
      •Panama 1989 *
      •Bulgaria 1990 *
      •Albania 1991 *
      •Iraq 1991
      •Afghanistan 1980s *
      •Somalia 1993
      •Yugoslavia 1999-2000 *
      •Ecuador 2000 *
      •Afghanistan 2001 *
      •Venezuela 2002 *
      •Iraq 2003 *
      •Haiti 2004 *
      •Somalia 2007 to present
      •Honduras 2009
      •Libya 2011 *
      •Syria 2012
      •Ukraine 2014 *
      AFGHANISTAN 2017

      Unless Americans study, THE CIA AS ORGANIZED CRIME and THE PHOENIX PROGRAM, by Douglas Valentine, they will continue to live in La La Land!

      Start in chapter 13 of THE CIA AS ORGANIZED CRIME! This will show you what the CIA is doing TODAY and then you can go back and start reading the rest of the book.

      The CIA is the greatest Terrorist Organization, in the world!
      THE PHOENIX PROGRAM IS IN PROGRESS IN AMERICA, EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST.

      ANYONE REMEMBER VIETNAM!
      YOU DEMONIC BASTARDS!

      *nearly four million Vietnamese killed.

      *more bombs dropped on Vietnam than by all sides in all previous wars throughout history,
      and three times more dropped than by all sides in the Second World War.

      *19,000,000 gallons of herbicide poisoned the land.

      *9,000 of 15,000 hamlets destroyed in the South of Vietnam.

      *In the North, all six industrial cities devastated; 28 of 30 provincial towns and 96 of 116
      district towns leveled by bombing.

      *The United States threatened to use nuclear weapons thirteen times. Nixon chided Kissinger for being too squeamish about this. Nixon said he, himself, just didn’t give a
      damn.

      *After the war, unexploded bombs and mines permeated the landscape and took an additional 42,000 lives. Millions of acres of land have still not been cleared of live
      ordnance.

      *Agent Orange and other defoliants have caused severe health problems for millions of
      Vietnamese.

      *Nearly all of Vietnam’s triple canopy forests were destroyed.

      *3,000,000 tons of ordnance struck 100,000 sites during the “secret” war in Cambodia, causing widespread social dislocation, destruction of crops, and starvation. The U.S.
      bombing campaign in Cambodia was directly responsible for the rise of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot and the genocide that took place afterward (The United States actually sided with Pol Pot when Vietnamese troops finally ended his reign of terror).

      Robert, Los Angeles

      Logan: As a "Christian conservative," you actually agree with anonymous (Reston is where he or she lives) who "prays for the day that the citizens of the world bring him (our President) to trial for his war crimes." Exactly what God do you and anonymous pray to? Such hatred -- it makes the islamic fascists look like boy scouts. What are these atrocities, tactics and all this other vile accusations that you speak of? Those are the very things the islamic fascists are doing yet you and your ilk defend them and condemn with hatred your fellow Americans who do not agree with you. It is not our leaders or even the terrorists that I worry about or fear, it is the everyday citizens like you and "anonymous." Your hatred against those who disagree with you is the same kind of hatred the Nazis had against the Jews. Stop blaming the "neocons" and look into the mirror.

      Dave Rubin, New York
      • Reply
      Dave Rubin, New York Robert, Los Angeles 11/22/20

      THE ORIGIN OF THE JEWISH GOD

      According to the biblical paradigm, the Creator of the Universe became the God of Israel when he chose the Hebrews. But according to biblical scholarship, the historical process was the reverse: it is the god of Israel who became the Creator of the Universe. This process, which was only completed during the Persian period, was not so much due to a progress in metaphysical thought as to a political cunning. The book of Ezra betrays a calculated effort from the Levites to confuse, in the mind of the Persians, “the god of Israel who resides in Jerusalem” (7:12–15) with the “God of heaven” whom the Persians also called Ahura Mazda, with the aim of obtaining the support of the Persian king for their theocratic project in Palestine.

      In Ezra, only the kings of Persia, in the various edicts attributed to them, recognize Yahweh as “the God of Heaven,” while in the rest of the text, Yahweh is merely “the god of Israel”. The same can be observed in the book of Daniel, when Nebuchadnezzar, impressed by the gifts of Daniel’s oracle, prostrates himself and exclaims:

      “Your god is indeed the God of gods, the Master of kings” (Daniel 2:47).

      Such passages give away, for those willing to see it, the deepest secret of Judaism, which is the key to understanding the relationship of Judaism to universalism:

      Yahweh is really the god of the Jews, while Gentiles are led to believe that he is the supreme and only God.

      “In the heart of any pious Jew, God is a Jew,” confirms Maurice Samuel in You Gentiles (1924). (1)

      This secret is not a fully conscious thought for most Jews; it is more like a family secret running unconsciously through generations. Nevertheless, it is the binding force of the Jewish people, and I am reminded of Carl Jung’s remark that secrets:

      “are of vital importance on the primitive level, for the shared secret serves as a cement binding the tribe together. Secrets on the tribal level constitute a helpful compensation for lack of cohesion in the individual personality.”(2)

      As he usurped the majesty of the Heavenly Father of all mankind, Yahweh in no way lost his character as a military god bent on looting and slaughtering the enemies of his only chosen people. Against the Babylonians, his sword is expected to “devour until gorged, until drunk with their blood” (Jeremiah 46:10). Against the Edomites, “it is greasy with fat” (Isaiah 34:6).

      If Yahweh had remained a tribal god from the desert, he would simply be recognized as particularly primitive and cruel; perhaps a demon escaped from hell through an Arabian volcano. But his successful claim to be honored as the true and only God is the biggest sham in human history, and a civilizational disaster of incomparable magnitude.

      It is ultimately responsible for the spread of atheism in the West. As long as Christians were discouraged from reading the Old Testament, they were not much disturbed by it. As soon as it became widely available, it started corroding Christianity. Philosophers like Voltaire had an easy job denigrating Christianity by quoting the Old Testament:

      “Never was common sense attacked with so much indecency and fury” (Sermon of the Fifty).

      Rather without God than with such a God, became the logical and morally decent thinking.

      “The finest trick of the devil, Charles Baudelaire wrote, is to persuade you that he does not exist” (Paris Spleen).

      Perhaps he was mistaken. His finest trick, I believe, is to convince the world that he is God.

      NOTES:
      (1)Maurice Samuel, You Gentiles, New York, 1924 (archive.org), pp. 74–75.
      (2)Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflexions, Pantheon Books, 1963, p.
      Source: Laurent Guyenot

      Robert, Los Angeles

      EGL, LA: Thank you for your wise insight and appreciation for our country. It pains me that we have red states and blue states and are no longer the United States. I too have issues with this administration, as I've had with all past administrations. But I wouldn't trade the unparalleled freedoms that we share and likewise agree that we must defend and protect them with all our might.

      Mike, Norwalk

      Robert and EGL, you're absolutely right in stating that the US still enjoys many freedoms not even comprehended in many parts of the world and, it is no where near as bad as was Germany during the Nazi era, BUT!!! The US is in no way as free as it was pre 1913 and the current tactics being perpetrated on the US sovereigns by all levels and departments of government are destroying freedoms similar to that of the Nazi era (were not killing Jews but we are carrying more and more paper, starting wars all over the world, demonizing a whole religion when only the criminals should be addressed, demonizing immigrants when it is the department of government addressing such and the law and application thereof that should be addressed, blowing up buildings and blaming it on terrorists, there is more compelled compulsion, victimless crimes, torture as an interrogation tool etc., etc., etc.). We as freemen need to step up our liberty vigilance and call a spade a spade.

      Robert, Los Angeles

      Mike, Norwalk: You sounded sane and sober until you got to BUT, and there you went off into insane and drunken fabrication. We certainly do have more freedom and prosperity now than before 1913. Did they have the liberty to do what we are doing in this exchange and through this medium? The list of enormous freedoms are unending and unequaled. Freedom of expression requires responsibility and a truth to back it up. We are not allowed to yell "fire" in a theater unless there is one, and we should not be allowed to yell "nazi" on the internet unless you can back it up. And just where are these "whole regions being demonized" that you speak of? We have regions in LA under the rule of the "18th street gang" terrorists and thousands of other gangs of thugs that cruise our streets terrorising and killing innocent people. And what legal immigrants are being demonized, where, how, and by whom? The idiotic notion that our government leveled the World Trade Center is worse than yelling Nazi. Where are your facts, besides Charlie Sheen's "call me crazy" theories? This is still the greatest nation in the world and we have more freedoms now than ever. Worry more about getting killed by a drunken driver (17,000 annually in the U.S.) or gang terrorists in your own neighborhood than dreaming up fantasies of Naziism by our own government. Then worry about the dictators of Iran, North Korea and Venezuela that hate America's unrivaled freedom and want to wipe us off the face of the earth, regardless of your political party affiliation. And by supporting their fanaticism and hatred toward the American way of life, they make you one of their "useful idiots." Lay down your partisan politics and help unite as fellow-Americans to protect and preserve the greatest nation in the world -- while we still can.

      Mike, Norwalk

      It's the Roberts of this world that scare me. What does technology have to do with sovereign birthright? If the current technololgy existed pre-1913, we would have been able to get on a passenger jet without showing our papers multiple times (which does nothing for safety) or buy a computer on credit without having to have shown a social security number to get the credit. Following your logic, the technology of powerful big cars takes away freedom because drunks kill. Yelling fire in a theater has always been a crime; your tangent missed any subject point. LOL, are you calling the gangs of LA Muslims? Enough said for this blog BUT, thank you Robert, you've proved Goering's quote to be alive and well.

      Editor, Liberty Quotes

      Thank you all for your insightful comments; however, please confine your comments to the quote. It is not necessary to debate each others' opinions here.

      CHM, Morganton,NC

      The quote is very true but the difference between the Nazi's and our gov't is that we actually were attacked! I don't think the planes crashing into the WTC was a Hollywood stage,it was the real thing and how easy everyone seems to forget that. Hitler and his cronies saw to it that the Jews were eliminated and other religions were downtrodden to the point of being ineffective as a social force. The ACLU has done the same here in this country. Christianity is fine as long as it's kept quiet and out of all public places....long and short is this country has no morals, no guts, no social underpinning. Germany was the same way except they had guts,which is why they were given countries to appease them, much like we try to appease the Muslims and communists. The President tries to take a stand and everyone wants to back out. Goering's quote rings true and we will eventually be the victims of some other country that has taken that quote to heart and has the guts to carry through.

      Cosmo, Free State

      True of every war in my long life, we never learn.

      Nae, Sarasota, FL

      It's a shame how true this is. Pay attention, folks. We had our Reichstaag, FEMA is building secret camps, you have to be on their "list" to fly out of the country....I smell a rat. It stinks bad...I can smell it all the way from D.C.

      Mr X, NYC
      • 1
      • Reply
      Mr X, NYC    3/15/07

      History is repeating! This time its in our own country and not Germany - and what do we do? We sit around and let it happen - just like the Germans did!

      Anonymous
      • 2
      • Reply
      Anonymous    3/17/07

      WE were obviously attacked on 9/11 but I'm pretty sure it wasn't by Iraq .Through fear we the people were led to believe mushroom clouds would soon point the way from the farm to the cities.Who was it that instilled these fears? oh yes, I remember it was the honorable men and women of power in this country.Public servants who allegedly work for us and why shouldn't we believe them I mean have they ever lied to us before? Isn't the world safer now ? aren't there less terrorists ? haven't our freedoms been protected ?didn't the 9/11 investigation prove the "official "conspiracy theory ?And isn"t osama in prison ?OOPS maybe i"ve said too much better check myself into re-hab.

      john, orlando

      George Bush has said the reason the terrorists hate us is because they hate freedom. By this logic, the terrorists have already won and need not attack here anymore. Fear, not reason, is governing our judgement as well as our actions. The so called " Patriot Act" (not to mention the authorization for the use of force in Iraq) is the proof. We don't need terrorists to threaten our liberty if we give it away. Our President has tapped the fears of the people to help accomplish an immoral agenda and Robert, apparently, has fallen into the trap the quote suggests. P.S. I find it ironic for someone (Robert, Bush, Nazi or otherwise) to use christianity as part of an argument to justify war. Jesus is called "The Prince of Peace" for a reason. He also taught us to love our enemies as ourselves. shame on you christians.

      Hal Spolerich, Fallbrook

      Many people ardently want war; if you doubt that join any military. "The poor slob on a farm" can never do as well as getting back in one piece, he lives under the shadow of war, and can never return with his emotions intact if summoned. The American Army had this to say about serving my country: "it is an honor to serve your country, you useless piece of shit!" At least they were honest about it. Goering's quote is a glamorization of the empirical truth.

      Doug, NYC, USA

      I bet all these folks objecting to the comparison between the US and the Nazis are Christians. I can tell because their attitudes are exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught. I have rarely met an American Christian who didn't salivate at the thought of killing and maiming innocent foreigners.

      Woz, Australia

      Its iterestesting to see how polar the responses are to this quote and the inferred comparison of Bush's "war on terror" control mechanism and the Herman Goering quote above! Do you think the families of the innocents that have been killed so far during the W.O.T consider the US much better than the Nazis? The gas chamber or a cluster bomb dropped on a childrens hospital both have the same long term effect, families destroyed. How is a stable supply of oil a nobler goal that the Nazis plans for the 'mater race'? And if you like to pretend that this isn't about oil, then where are the hundreds of thousands of US troops in war torn Africa? Oh yeah thats right, they don't have any oil. People are people and control is control. The message might be slightly more sophisticated and the military goals more subtle, but the same underlying mechanism of control is the same.

      Brian, Alberta

      Chilling! Those who refuse to accept the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them! While it's a stretch to suggest that ALL of the actions by Bush-league's republican administration are EXACTLY like those of the former NAZIs clearly this illustrates at least one MAJOR parallel in ideology.

      kelly, Medan

      I just finished reading each comment and noticed how bias affects one's reading of the quote. My own will show as well I'm sure but this is my assessment: I don't think one can find a true analog between Hitler's Nazi regime and the Bush administration. It's a ridiculous comparison by most measures. Nevertheless, as Goering points out, the method for obtaining support for a war is the same whether that government is democratic or autocratic. This is particularly true of an unpopular war or a war that the people themselves are not calling for. The American people were not gung ho for war against Iraq--even at the war's onset the country was fairly evenly divided. Their support had to be won and the tactics that the administration used were as Goering described. It doesn't seem to me that the Bush administration was ever effective in gaining a clear majority for their Middle East agenda, and so they were less effective than the Nazis--but then they did not have the same means of propaganda available to them that the Nazis had, which isn't to say they wouldn't have liked those powers.

      TB, Sm■rum

      The german logic is blood chilling. I CANNOT think of any other idea.

      hermann wannabe, hermanville

      snap... yo homies we are being attacked right now... what you say bro is so true... luv ya hermann

      anonymous
      • Reply
      anonymous    12/3/07

      hey herman wannabee i think thats so true. EVERYONE WE ARE BEING ATTACKED THIS IS SERIOUS... IT WILL BE COMING OUR WAY SOON!

      Anonymous, Washington, DC

      Sounds like George Bush and Dick Cheney and the rest of the White House Mafia.

      John, Hyde

      I never thought I`d agree with Hermann Goering. But what about this quote from Hitler? " Terrorism is the best political weapon, for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death." Is it me, or that what our leaders are doing?

      Brenda, Valparaiso

      I came across this quotation while looking for an appropriately "patriotic" quote for our church newsletter for the July Fourth weekend. I wish I had the guts to use it.

      Phil, Laguna Niguel, CA

      I must say that we as a nation have been lead down a path of fear. This fear has been pushed on us by our government. You can attack the republicans all you want for doing this, but please tell me what democrat didn't do the same. We use fear now to start wars against Islamic extremists just as we used fear to start wars against the communists. In my mind the communists never did anything to hurt me or my family during my life (I am 34), but we were all made to hate them and want to destroy them. Now we have created the same hatred towards Muslims. This country has done this for generations, Republican and Democrat. I am registered Republican...I have yet to ever vote Democrat but for some reason I would rather see the Republicans lose in the next few elections with the hope that losing will help them find their way back to what being a Republican is about. As for the comments on Christians and the way they think I must say a few things. I am Catholic. I have noticed that many Christians are hypocrits. They believe in issues such as pro life to protect gods children but they are the first ones to send someone to a death sentence. They are the first ones to jump at going to war in order to fight for what they believe in. Any person who claims to be a true follower of Jesus must know this......we should not judge, we should not kill, we should not sentence any person to death, unless we want to act as if we are god. That is a mortal sin that will supposedly send you straight to hell. None of us are god...lets stop passing judgment on others and killing others. Men of peace under all circumstances are true men of Jesus. The true tests come not when it is easy to love or to turn the other check, rather the true test of your devotion to Jesus comes when times are trying and difficult. Many of us seem to fail that test when the going gets tough.

      Marlon, Waterloo, IA

      Sounds like it came out of today's newspaper.

      Mr.Peace, Peaceville

      Hermann was right, sad but true. Mankind will never learn. Easy to fool people with simple patriotism.

      noblindloyalty, Fargo

      It's not about a comparison between the Nazis and our government. The quote just gives one something to think about. Especially after 9/11, I feel we we're manipulated to go to war in Iraq. To which the last line in the quote really speaks.

      Think, SLC, UT

      True, the point isn't to compare the Nazis and the US. It is about realizing how people are manipulated by their fear and sense of nationalism into supporting horrible atrocities. There could be no better example than the lies that sold the Iraq war. And using the boogy-man of communism sold us the atrocity of Vietnam. And of course the list goes on. Goering should have added that you need to keep people ignorant of the horror that this kind of manipulation has brought societies in the past.

      Anarchore, BC

      He was describing what the JEWS did, and continue to do. http://zionofascism.wordpress.com

      Anonymous, Eugene, OR

      The question should not be if this is true, but why we are not doing anything to change it. How does one wait for the government/think tanks to stop instilling fear into the people? Do we wait till we are in a time of peace, after the murderous wars have ensued? I think, and I am only 18, that we will wait. We will feel safe again when we are 'needed' to feel safe again. Who knows when that will be.

      James, Halifax, NS, Canada

      ROBERT. LOS ANGELES: How can you possibly be so naive to think that the leaders of your country are in any way acting in the best interests of the American people. Most of you don't even vote. The government of the untied states is in more ways a Fascist dictatorship than you would care to believe. Do you really think for a second that your fellow Americans are more to blame than Islamic extremists? Or that Islamic extremists are more to blame than your government? By your own statements you believe exactly what the government tells you and therefore are the one you should be afraid of, yourself and others like you who blindly follow the propaganda of your leaders. You are at war because your government wants the oil in the middle east, so that the companies that fund your presidential candidates' campaigns can collect on their investments and make even more money. If you pull your head out of your ass and look at your own country's history, there has always been one event that stands out as an atrocity to drag the American public into war. In WW1 it was the sinking of the Ocean liner Lusitania with Americans on board, all hands lost, U.S. enters WW1. WW2, Pearl Harbour, need I say more? Yes! Do you actually believe for a second that the American government, one of the most scientifically advance nations of the world didn't know that that attack was coming? Moreover they let it happen because they needed an excuse to get a population who wanted nothing to do with the war, involved in it. There is actually declassified information that proves this. Lastly you have 911. Its been scientifically proven that the planes that crashed into those buildings couldn't have brought them down, but why did they even get so close to begin with? Because it was allowed to happen, so that foolish people like yourself would believe that you were actually attacked by terrorists. The same terrorists that your very own Congressman Charles Wilson (Charlie Wilson) funded to fight the communists that invaded Afghanistan in the 80's. It is not a coincidence. Hermann Goering's quote as 'evil' as it sounds is the absolute truth, after all he was actually in the Nazi Cabinet, wouldn't he know what he's talking about? The fact that you decide that you don't want to see the similarities between you "benevolent United States" and the actions of the tyrants in the past is a sad shame, but please don't post things on the internet and pretend to know for a second what you're talking about.

      Anonymous, Twickenham, UK

      In response to Govt orchestrated extermination. I would like to ask what happened to the Indigenous American Indians? My favourite story regards a Chief called 'Black Kettle', he and his family were massacred whilst they stood around their American flag, whilst also waving a white flag of surrender. Please read 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee', by Dee Brown. It was continuous fear that was used to portray the Indians as savages in order to repeatedly take more land from them. Has anything acually changed?

      Anon, Anytown

      It's far from being a new concept. Goering was only repeating something similar to what Julius Caesar had said.

      Anon, Twickenham

      What was it that Julius Caesar said?

      Targachiisan, the little

      ANON IN TWICKENHAM.... research could not have been easier ... all you had to do was look up the name Caesar on this very site: http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Gaius.Julius.Caesar.Quote.44A1

      Scaber Nestor, Barbeque

      When you see that the world leaders say that any Anti-War propaganda is unpatriotic and criminal, it's obvious that some of the Nazi ideas survived...

      William, Dallas

      Your sad if you think the U.S. is any diffrent then the Nazis. so they killed some Jews. Russia killed more jews then the Nazis and the U.S. Did nothing because there was no profit to be made. How many native people did the U.S. Kill and for what? Money and power. That's all war is. other reasons that your told are just side reasons. (Blow back)

      Dick Bison, Punnichy, SK
      • Reply
      Dick Bison, Punnichy, SK William, Dallas 10/1/21

      How many scientists from Hitler's Regime went to America after the war?

      Bob G., Maconb, MI

      I would take this one step further. Think about how this formula is being used today by the talking heads in the media .....The people can always be brought to the bidding of the ______. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being ___________, and denounce the ___________ for lack of __________ and exposing the country to __________. It works the same in any country." There is great power in bringing people together, unfortunately, there is great power in driving people apart.

      Kelly, Edmonton

      I would correct Goering and say that "all you have to do is convince that there is an opposing and evil force"....and not to be semantically inclined, but the Jewish have been doing it for centuries, and so has the very strong and thriving Roman Empire, cleverly stolen from the Jewish and renamed Jesus. If you argue this point, it is written in the bible in Romans. Further more, any form of patriotism can be developed into a dangerous weapon in the hands of a leader who's will is otherwise than the diplomatic cohabitation of all the peoples of the world and the acceptance of the people of his countries will to live within their boundaries and ideologies that they govern their own sociological entity with. Which unfortunately is the downfall of any society that accepts a moral abandon as their means of society, and is prevalent in several factors of any society. Naturally humans compete, is it then simply the role of governance to effectively limit and restrict these competitions to a moral decree that can be agreed upon by the society itself. If the society itself then is an immoral and apathetic society how can there be an effective leadership that knows any form of moral agenda. If you see, there never is an answer. People will always accept any form of leadership that convinces them that they as a society are righteous in ther morallity, or shames them for immorality or weakness. leadership in any form

      Kelly, Edmonton

      ....in the hands of a strictly personal agenda or a strictly defined 'moral' agenda can be dangerous. The only effective leadership should reallistically be defined as doing what is balanced for all the peoples of the world while being able to exact a quality of life for the peoples of your own country that leads them through a life that is comfortable and will not lead to rebellion, war or effectively your own martyrdom. These are the risks of any leader though that must be taken into consideration when accepting or exacting the privelege of leadership. In final, Hitler wasn't evil...just misguided by the voice of his people for revenge and the illusion of the need to blame another society for the economic condition of their own, and by his own personal moral agenda that was fueled by the education endeared to him by his society.

      Anonymous, San Jose

      Evil has to be fought if good is to survive. If you don't fight people like this you will end up dead or a slave.

      Frank M, Miami

      Hitler knew that Europe did not want to be thrown into another war. He built up his military and the "peace lovers" stood idly by afraid of "inciting" the Fuhrer. When Chamberlain and Daladier met with Hitler, they behaved in exactly the way Hitler knew they would . They gave in to all of his demands. Afterward, Hitler told his generals "I have seen the enemy and they are worms. There are two kinds of people in the world. Aggressors and non aggressors. The aggressors take advantage of the fact that the non-aggressors do not want violence and thus always threaten violence when they do not get their way. All of the appeasement of Hitler did not stop him from starting WWII on Sept. 1, 1939. We are seeing the same situation in our dealings with muslims nowadays. Appeasement, caving in, not fighting back all sound really nice but eventually, you have to fight.

      John, Newport News

      Did you notice that this country is always in fear of some bogeymen. There has always been one and he will never go away. How can the government protect us without one.The bigger he is the better. Fear is a powerful emotion and the more we fear the more control we lose. When and if this present bogeymen goes away, don't worry there will be another right around the corner. Boooo!

      Tommy, Birmingham, England

      This is such a brilliant quote. Goering was absolutely correct in every word he said. There are few politicians of any party who would dare be so truthfully outspoken these days. It is a great pity that the excesses of the German leadership could not have been moderated in the 1930s/40s, so that an Anglo-German alliance could have been formed which might have led to a better and safer world.

      Anonymous
      • Reply
        Anonymous    9/7/10

        A politically insightful remark made by an experienced military man and politician in anticipation of his own death. Machiavellian.

        DR, OC
        • 1
        • Reply
          DR, OC    11/22/10

          Those who argue appeasement is the reason for the consolidation of Hitler's power must be blind. For it was not appeasement that led to the starvation of the German people and the hyperinflation of the German currency. It was not appeasement that tore down the German Empire making it ache for the restoration of its power. No, that was the Treaty of Versailles. And now, to say that we are appeasing the Muslims when our government launches the "War on Terror" with the invasion of two Muslim countries--Iraq and Afghanistan--the imposition of sanctions and threats to a third--Iran--and the drone attacks that terrorize a fourth--Pakistan, we must open our eyes. It's clear that war is perfectly correlated with the suspension of civil liberties. Which only leads to more oppression.

          allah_akbar, Detroit

          Obama is a Nazi. Locking up people without a trial in Guantanamo Bay and Afganistan. YES, He is nothing more than a war criminal, and I pray for the day that the citizens of the world bring him to trial for his war crimes! YES, Obama is a fascist, no better than a Nazi, for he worships the creating of a global Armageddon that will make what Hitler done look pale by comparison.

          R.E., Greenville

          Honesty from a politician is rare. This quote could be a problem for both American political parties.

          jim k, Austin, Tx

          Read the last two lines in this quote, they are right on target. Mike, Mt Holly, the American public are not saying they are ok with this, they are too busy playing with their cell phones to say much of anything.

          J Carlton, Calgary

          A timeless bit of insight. Pay heed America.

          dick, fort worth

          A small gang of super-religious fanatics makes our intelligence(?) agencies as obviously inept as they are. Or it wouldn't be surprising if the 9-11 attacks were anticipated and allowed in order to create the kind of ignorant emotions Goering describes. Instead of an international police effort to catch the criminals, our empire building leaders were able to start yet another war. George Orwell explained it all in "1984." With our 800 to 1000 military bases in over 100 countries it is certain we shall have perpetual war from this time on. War makes it easy for the tiny few at the top to take everything away from the people. Why has this not been recognized?? Does anyone really think Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney are any more humanitarian than the Nazis were?

          Midnight, None of Your Business

          Sounds like Bush and his VP, Dick in his mouth Chaney.

          Kimo, USA
          • Reply
          Kimo, USA    9/14/11

          I think, history is repating itself, right before our eyes, i also think, WE THE PEOPLE will not let it happen this time. As all from other countries see, we americans have a few problems, but, also, as you can see, for the first time in a long time, we have awakened. now, we KNOW the world is watching, some wanting us to fall, with baited lips. canada, if WE go down, the world goes down. This light of freedom, is still shining, the day it does not, will be a dark day for this world, be with us, not against us. DO NOT judge us by our leaders, they are not leading anyway, we KNOW what is happening, and we know what to do. We seek to remain lawfull, and avoid bloodshed. And, if we do not succeed, as we are the most powerfull military in the world, the rest of the free world[whats left of it] will fall. So, yes, be afraid, be very afraid. For there are men, in my country, ready to give all, pray for us, speak good of us, we all basically seek the same thing.freedom from tyranny.

          warren, olathe

          So what? It means nothing.

          Pat, Boston, MA

          America is more at risk of war than any country on earth, given her wealth, and her status as latecomer to globalism. What is 400 years to 10,000 years? America always underestimates her risk, as well as her vulnerability, but she cannot hide under a bucket; she must engage the world hoping not to be attacked, but knowing full well that one can come anytime from anywhere, and it won't be like Pearl Harbor because the technology of war has moved beyond the technology of WWII, and in some ways, is more lethal than WWII was. It is more dangerous, not less dangerous. Coupled with global communication, America has never been at more risk, and underestimating that fact would be her downfall. At the same time, too many precautions can produce stagnation in her economy for being overprotective, much as the way overprotective mothering jails a child. America would be well to attend to ancient emotional conflicts and try to heal those to ensure her own safety but she can never be truly safe.

          Bob Wyman, Colorado Springs

          It is amazing and infuriating to realize how complex stupidity can be but that is all an intelligent person can understand.

          Anonymous, Manitou Springs, CO

          It's not the US Government that is scaring us and telling us we are being attacked. It's the Republican party, the opposition, that is doing that. They are convincing their followers that US Government is attacking THEM. They are telling the people that a) our government and President is against the people and b) the Democrats are going against the Constitution with regards to health care, gun control, etc... and are therefore.... un-patriotic and un-American. When the Republican base believes that, they are following their party leaders whether or not they are being told the truth or not. Mission accomplished.

          Joe, Union County, NJ

          Ha, sounds like what Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter,...ETC have done for years. Hell, Decades.

          I wonder where all the left leaning commentators are now that Barack Obama has carried on the torch of enslaving American, handed to him, along with a copy of "The Idiot's guide to Enslaving America", by George W. Bush.

          Sally Oh, Kentucky

          The exact quote from the book:

          "Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

          "There is one difference,” author Gilbert pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

          "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

          Paul Flaherty, Sullivans Island SC

          In the evolution of 2015 political situations..... the question is..... WHO ARE TODAY'S LEADERS..... Politicians, Press and Media are pawns doing these leaders' biddings.

          Bobble, No. Ferrisburgh, VT

          Dear Mr. Goering, no wonder der Fuhrrer (sp?) picked you for his ministry of war or propaganda or whatever: You cover ALL the pages and would make a good psychiatrist ! BUT -- we forget that you, also, should have seen a psychiatrist. Even dictators and dictator-types who "use phones and pens" can understand how to rule the proletariat. BTW, where IS the Nazi war machine that was going to conquer the world ? Thank God and the Allies who wore it down .. but we were LATE responding and nearly didn't get there in time. Will we make the same mistake -- again -- with the Mid East and Islam ?

          THX1138, HIVE

          Far too many who comment here live in a vacuum !

          Ronw13, Yachats OR

          We fight the Elitist again, Yeomen Republicans Claim old Ground.
          slobs indeed, one of the most presumptive and degrading statements of all time. Don't Tread on Me ! A Big Storm is Coming !! The biggest of All time !! Pattons are in the Wings !!
          SEMPER FI

          Mary - MI
          • Reply
          Mary - MI    1/7/16

          The actual thinking of the U.S. Fascist War Mongers of D.C. in the present day.

          Mary - MI
          • 1
          • Reply
            Mary - MI    1/7/16

            Does Senator John McCain come to mind?

            Ronw13, Yachats OR

            John McCain is No Patton, Dr. Ben Carson, LEVEL HEADED, Relevant and Applicable Experience !! As also Bob Dees !! Convention of States, Civilian Army At Peace. The Avenue to Vent and overcome Adversity !!

            rv, the colony

            And now we have the Donald

            E Archer, NYC
            • Reply
            E Archer, NYC rv, the colony 1/10/19

            Nonsense.  Trump is not sending men to war, he's trying to bring them home.  You can blame the neo-cons Obama, Clinton(s), and Bush(es).

            Edward Hunt, Dallas

            And now we have the response to the coronavirus. Add it to the list....

            Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown

            This fellow was quite misguided. All these ideologies didn't exist after all. The voice he mentioned did exist and that's what lead to millions of deaths. The answer is the correct voice and the correct guidance must be aligned and put into the proper place. Socialism is the vision of social abilities to create.


            @

            Get a Quote-a-Day!

            Liberty Quotes sent to your mail box daily.